


The Heroes Three

by New_Orion



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Action/Adventure, Coming of Age, Friendship, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:34:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24816184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/New_Orion/pseuds/New_Orion
Summary: Through the twists and turns of Hyrule's history many know the tale of the Hero of Time, the Hero of Twilight, even the Hero of the Skies. But few know the tale of the Heroes Three. In the Land of Hyrule, a new hero is born. However he will not embark on this quest alone. This time the Hero shall be joined by the Princess Zelda herself, along with her personal bodyguard, Ganondorf.
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

The sun started to rise over the land of Hyrule. The horses needed feeding so the young boy from Kakariko went out to feed them their breakfast. He always wondered why it was that they needed to eat before he did, but that never bothered him. In fact part of him liked the pattern, it made whatever meal he’d end up eating more enjoyable, and gave him something to look forward to just after waking up.  
“Lad, come here!” The boy’s father shouted. Running over with his bag of feed the boy looked up at the man. “Today, some very important customers are coming and I need you to swear to me that you’ll be on your best behavior. None of this running around and getting yourself into trouble you hear?”  
“Yes Pa.” The boy nodded his head. “I need to finish feeding the horses.” He held up the feed bag.  
“Yes, do that then go to your room and put on your best clothes.” The man wrung his hands nervously.  
“Pa, what’s going on?” The boy cocked his head to the side.  
“If I tell you, you have to swear to me you’ll be good.” The man stuck a meaty finger in the boy’s face causing him to take a step back and nod. “The King is going to be coming today along with his Captain of the Guard.  
The boy’s eyes widened at the thought. “Really? You mean it?”  
“Yes lad, now hurry up and get to work then clean yourself up.” The man urged his son along. “We don’t have much time to prepare, they’ll be here before lunch.”  
Rushing to finish his chores the boy moved from horse stall to horse stall depositing the proper amount of food into each trough.  
After finishing up he ran back to the house and went into his room. He searched through his clothes to find whatever his father would think was the best, but wasn’t sure what that would be exactly.  
Without anything that looked remarkable he reached into the chest and pulled out a green tunic and put it on, cinching the belt into place.  
“Lad, get down here, the first of the guards are riding in.” Came the shout from down the stairs.  
Without hesitation the boy ran to the window to look outside and watch in wonder as nearly forty fully armed soldiers and guards rode into their small ranch followed by a large carriage. The entire thing was covered in gold and purple. The royal crest emblazoned on the gold itself.  
The boy had never seen such finery in his entire life. There was no way that it was real gold, even a king can’t afford something like that. “Lad! Now!” Came another scream causing the child to jump in place before running down the stairs to meet his father at the front door.  
A large man with long red hair stepped off of his horse first and approached the boy and his father. “Are you the Stablemaster known as Arn?” The soldier asked. He towered over the boy and even his father.  
“I, I am.” The man stuttered. “And you are?”   
The soldier didn’t say anything and instead turned. “Arn, I would like to introduce to you King Daphnes.” He held his hand out as the door to the carriage opened and a man of nearly 6 decades stepped out. “And accompanying him this day, the Princess Zelda.” A young girl stepped out behind him. Her blonde hair neatly put into a bun on her head.  
“No need to be so formal.” Daphnes announced stepping towards Arn. “Is this your lad?” He asked looking down at the boy.  
“Yes.” Arn nodded his head. “He’s nearly eleven this autumn.”  
“You don’t say?” Daphnes asked with a smirk. “My own Zelda is very nearly the same age.” He stood up straight and looked to his guard. “Isn’t your boy the same age as these two?”  
“Aye sire.” The guard nodded his head in agreement.   
“Hmph.” The king chuckled to himself, his big mustache twitching as a fly flew past him. “So I’ve been told you have a prized mare that might interest me.”  
“Yes Sire, if you’d please follow me this way.” Arn gestured to the stables beside the house. “I’m sure you’ll be more than pleased with her.”  
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Daphnes huffed as all of his guards followed behind. Except for a few who posted themselves at the exits of the ranch.  
The boy smiled watching all the men on horses before he felt a tug on his sleeve. “Come with me.” Princess Zelda whispered. “Hurry, before someone spots us.”  
“Where are we going?” The boy asked following after the Princess as the two made their way to the nearby river.  
“On an adventure.” She smiled back to him. “Just look at you.” She stopped next to a tree pointing to the boy’s outfit. “You’re dressed just like the heroes.”  
“I am?” The young man tugged at the worn green fabric he was wearing. “I didn’t try to…”  
“And if you’re the hero that makes me the Princess.” She held her fist in the air. “Which would also mean the bad guy should be here any minute.”  
“A bad guy?” The young boy cocked his head to the side.  
“Yes, a bad guy.” She smiled brightly. “What’s your name?” She asked taking his hand.  
Her hand was so soft and warm, there was something about it that made the boy not want to let go. “I’m Link.” He replied quickly nodding his head.  
“Well Link, let’s go on an adventure!” Zelda replied turning on her heel and running along the brook still holding Link’s hand in hers.  
Even though he knew he was going to get in a lot of trouble, the boy couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face no matter how hard he tried. There was something so special about this, he was actually playing with someone his own age. None of his father’s friends had any children, so whenever they’d be in playing their grown up card games Link would be stuck with the horses.  
“Stop!” A larger boy in a suit of fitted armor shouted from on top of a hill. “Princess, you have to come back with me.”  
“Link, it’s the villain, you have to protect me!” Zelda shrieked before reaching to the ground and picking up a stick. “Here, use the blade of evil’s bane and defeat this villain.” She forced the stick into his hand.  
As Link turned he saw that the boy in front of him wasn’t just a little bit larger, he was far larger. His broad shoulders were the clear sign of a warrior, and his red hair marking him as most likely the son of the guard his father talked with earlier. “Princess, I insist that you come with me.”  
“Back Villain!” Zelda shrieked. “Get him Link, strike him down and I’ll give the hero a kiss.”  
“A kiss?” Link asked wide eyed before he turned to look at the confused boy in front of him.  
With a swing of the sword Link gawked at the sound of the shaft breaking against the boy’s face. “Gah!” The larger boy shouted holding his chin where a drop of blood was starting to come out. Before Link could swing the broken stick again the boy caught it and glared down at him. “You shouldn’t have done that Farm Boy.”  
Before Link could say anything a massive fist caught him in the side of the face knocking him to the ground. “Ganon stop!” Zelda shrieked. “I didn’t think he’d actually do it, it’s not his fault.” She shouted stepping between the two of them.  
“Princess, he struck a member of the Royal Guard, you and I both know that’s a hangable offense.” Ganon spat down at the boy.  
“And we both know that you are not a member of the Royal Guard yet.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to stop?”  
Link tried to get to his feet before a hand was in his face. Looking up Ganon had outstretched his arm to help the boy up. “I’ll stop for you Princess.” He said pulling Link back to his feet. “You ok?” He asked looking to make sure he hadn’t beaten the poor boy dumb.  
“I’m fine.” Link nodded his head. “You?” He looked up before Ganon checked his chin, almost as if he had forgotten it even happened.  
“Don’t worry about it.” He drew a sword out before holding it between himself and Link. “If you ever need to swing a sword like that again, make sure that you keep your arm firm.” He demonstrated a few swings slowly so that Link could have an example to work with. “If you don’t you’ll just end up breaking your wrist on whatever you hit. Not everything is as soft as skin or fragile as a stick.” He returned the sword to its sheathe. “You got that?”  
Link nodded his head before Zelda smiled. “My hero.” She cooed looking at Link. “A deal is a deal.” She leaned forward and planted a small peck on the boy’s cheek.   
Ganon coughed looking away as Link blushed and went wide eyed. “Princess, you didn’t have to.”  
“Princess!” One of the nearby soldiers shouted.  
“She’s here!” Ganon yelled back. “I escorted her to the river.” He projected almost like a real soldier.  
King Daphnes and Arn came over the hill to see their children standing beside one another before the King burst into tears laughing. “Young man, please come over here.” He waved for Link to approach. The young boy slowly walked up the hill before standing directly in front of the king. “Lad, did you wear that on purpose?” He cocked an eyebrow up at the child. “Now don’t lie to me, I’ll know if you are.”  
“Did I wear my clothes on purpose?” He cocked his head to the side confused.  
The King narrowed his eyes at the boy, the entire field seemed to fall silent all at once before the King laughed a huge belly laughed and leaned against Arn. “Arn, at first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make a deal, but your boy dressed like that, and not even knowing it, it’s perfect!” He belted out in laughter. “You there,” He pointed to Ganon. “see to it that Arn here gets paid.” He turned his attention back to the Rancher. “I have another proposition for you if you’re willing to hear it.”  
“Of course your Majesty.” The man said as the King led him back up the hill. “Zelda, come along now.”  
Zelda nodded to her father before passing Link. “It was nice meeting you Link.” She blushed at the boy as Ganon walked past gritting his teeth.   
“Of course Princess.” Link said bending his body to bow as deeply as he could while still on his feet.  
“Don’t do that.” Zelda laughed lightly smacking the boy on the back of the head. “Hurry, up so you can see me off.” She giggled before running after her father.

XXXX

That night at dinner Arn looked over at Link who was eagerly eating his food. “You wanna tell me what happened today?”  
“What do you mean?” Link blanked. Had his father seen the kiss?  
“That mark on your face boy.” The man said hotly. Link put his hands down at his sides. “It’s nothing.”  
“It’s not nothing.” Arn replied. “Did that other boy hit you?” He asked tilting Link’s face where he saw the welt swollen already.  
“Oh, that.” Link relaxed realizing it was only the incident with Ganon. “Yeah, we got into a bit of a scrape.”  
“Did you at least get a hit in?” Arn asked cutting into his meat.  
“I did.” Link nodded his head in agreement.  
“That’s my boy.” Arn said with a smile.

XXXX

A few miles away in Hyrule Castle Zelda sat in her bedroom looking out over Hyrule field. In the distance she could see the small Ranch where she had met the little boy earlier in the day. “You can’t be serious?” The white haired woman who leaned against the wall said with a scoff. “He was wearing a green tunic and everything?”  
“He really was.” Zelda almost sighed touching the glass window before pulling her hand away and wincing at the handprint.  
“Princess, if I may be so bold, are you smitten with this boy?” She gave a mischievous wink to the young Princess.  
“Impa!” Zelda whined. “It’s not like that, I swear!” She smacked the bottom of her pillow with her fist. “He was just a lot of fun. It felt nice that he was willing to play with me.”  
Impa sighed and walked over to look out the window. “Well I suppose you’re in luck Princess.”  
“I am?” The young girl asked looking up in confusion.   
“Your father has hired on the boy’s father to be the royal stablemaster.” Impa smirked. “That may just mean you and this boy may be seeing a whole lot more of one another.”  
“Really?” Zelda asked standing to her feet. “You wouldn’t lie to me now would you Impa?” She pointed a small finger at the tall, muscular woman in front of her.   
“Hand to Hylia.” Impa held one of her hands up before the young girl wrapped her in a bear hug. “There, there Zelda. I know you’re excited, but you must remember he is just a peasant boy.”  
“So?” Zelda asked with a shrug. “The Hero is always a peasant boy.” She giggled at the idea before throwing herself onto her bed.   
“Goodnight Princess, enjoy your dreams of your very own hero.” Impa walked to the door expertly snatching a thrown pillow out of the air before gently tossing it back to the flustered Princess.


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks past as Link and his father moved most of their things from their ranch to Castle Town and the stables there. It wasn’t long after that where life seemed to return to some form of normalcy and Link had to resume his chores. Just like before he would feed the horses before his own breakfast. After that he’d be told to either bathe a horse or clean the stalls.  
This was life for a time. Link would occasionally catch a glimpse of the soldiers going about their business, and some of them would even stop in to look at the horses. However, he never saw the boy with red hair Ganon, or the Princess. Why would he? She would be up in her massive tower far away from him. Sure, it was fun to run and play like that, but that was not life.  
That night Link sat alone in his room with his arms behind his head. Just out of the corner of his eye the light of the moon was visible out the window. The breeze felt nice so leaving the window open wasn’t as bad an idea as when he lived out of the city. Before who knew what was going to get in the house if he left the window open. He once heard about a boy that let a cuckoo into the house and it trashed everything.  
Link turned over in his bed and closed his eyes. “Aww, don’t go to sleep now.” Came a familiar voice.  
Turning over in his bed Link saw her looking down at him. “Princess Zelda.” He gasped sitting up as the young girl sat down on the windowsill.  
“Hush up. If you’re loud someone might hear us and then we won’t be able to go play.” She gave a large beaming smile.  
“Princess, I really think we shouldn’t be here.” Came another voice from outside of the window. Sitting up and glancing past Zelda, Link could see a clearly annoyed Ganon. His lips were curled, his arms were crossed and he kept looking from side to side.  
“Ganon relax.” Zelda smiled at the boy who loosened up seeing it. “Once Link gets dressed we can go to the garden. We’ll be safe, there won’t we?”   
Rolling his eyes Ganon looked to Link. “Just hurry up and get dressed.”  
Link nodded his head before going into his room to put on something he’d be comfortable being seen by a Princess in. Sadly, that just left him with his green tunic again. He was about to change before he stopped to look at the Princess. “Um, could you…” He trailed off before Zelda seemed to come out of her own thoughts.  
“Oh, yes, sorry.” She blushed getting off the window and standing outside next to Ganon.  
The two waited a minute before they saw a pair of white legs wearing brown boots pop out of the window before Link stood in front of them. “Can you show me the way?” He looked between the two of them. Ganon rolled his eyes and Zelda eagerly nodded.  
“Come on.” Zelda reached out and grabbed Link’s hand and turned before grabbing Ganon’s in her other and running off.  
The two ran through Castle Town before getting to the gate of the castle which was closed. “How are we going to get in?” Link looked to the other two. Zelda led him to an ivy-covered wall that the other two started to climb. “Where are you going?” Link whisper shouted.  
“Hurry up unless you want to get caught.” Ganon whispered back down before extending an arm down. Link scrambled upwards after the other two children. He put his hand into Ganon’s and gasped as he was yanked through the air and landed on his feet beside the other two.  
“You two aren’t worried that it’s this easy to break into the castle?” He looked between the two as they walked along the side of the castle perimeter.   
“No one else knows about these spots.” Zelda said putting her arms behind her back and walking with almost a skip in her step.  
“It might be hard for him to get back on his own.” Ganon glanced down to Zelda who seemed to be enjoying her own little world.  
“He doesn’t have to go alone does he?” She gave a smile. “You’ll bring him home for me of course.” She stuck her tongue out before she started to run.   
“Princess, wait.” Ganon said starting to run after her. He was unable to keep up with her, but it only took another moment before Link caught up to him, and even was running on pace with Zelda.  
The Princess turned her head and saw the boy in the green tunic was able to keep up with her. Even as she pumped her legs harder than before he still managed to keep up with a smile on his face.  
It only took them another minute before they reached the next guard tower. “What now?” Link asked looking between the two before they started to walk on top of the tower to the other side of the field. Without a word Link followed behind them, all the while mimicking the steps the other two children were making.   
Once on the other side they had an entire field of open air ahead of them and running a few yards further Zelda turned around and smiled. “See, wasn’t that easy?”  
“The guards must be off playing dice.” Ganon reasoned. “It shouldn’t have been that easy, even though it’s generally not that hard.”  
“And that doesn’t worry you?” Link cocked his head to the side. “I would think that the King wouldn’t want children being able to sneak in and out of the castle in the dead of night.”  
“We aren’t in the castle yet.” Zelda laughed. “The real front gate is over there, getting into there is impossible, unless you know the secret entrance.” She held a finger in front of her mouth making a shushing noise.  
The Princess led the two boys to a road that separated them from the other side of the field. A soldier on a horse rode past them but didn’t take notice to the children hiding in the shadows. “Hurry.” Zelda whispered before darting across the road to the next patch of grass.  
Running after her Link tripped in the tall grass and winced before looking down and noticing a blue rupee stuck in his leg. With a wince he reached down and pulled it out and grimaced at the small trickle of blood coming down his leg but smiled at the small prize for his pain.   
Standing back up the boy put the rupee in a small pouch on his belt before following after the other children. They strafed along the water way before they reached the castle aqueduct which had a small hole in it leading into the castle. “It’s that easy?” Link asked pointing to the hole.  
“It’s that easy.” Zelda chuckled before she leapt across the waterway and grabbed onto the stone ledge pulling herself up and through the hole. Turning Link watched Ganon do the same maneuver but pulled himself up easier, but had a harder time fitting through the hole.   
With a breath Link backed up a few paces before running forward and taking a running leap. He slammed into the side of the wall but his fingers managed to grip onto the edge. With a quick huff he pulled himself onto the ledge and easily crawled through the hole.   
Once on the other side the boys mouth dropped as he looked at the lush garden around them. “This is your garden?”  
“What?” Zelda asked before laughing. “No, this is just one of the halls my father uses when he wants to entertain people who don’t like to sit still. They walk through here and talk rather than sitting in a stuffy room all day.”  
Ganon chuckled before he led the way through the rest of the castle. After a few turns the trio reached a jaw dropping room. All around Link were beautiful flowers, a flowing river even seemed to exist as if from nowhere surrounding the entire room and in the center was a stone tablet with a sword inside of it. “Is that?” Link asked astonished.  
“That is the real Sword of Evil’s Bane.” Ganon chuckled. “Not exactly like that stick you wacked me with now is it?” He crossed his arms and looked at the little boy.  
“Can I touch it?” Link glanced up at the red head.  
“No, you cannot touch it.” Ganon replied as if it were obvious. “It’s sacred, only the royal family and the hero.”  
“But what if I’m the hero?” Link asked pointing to himself.  
“You have to pass a series of trials before you’re allowed to even try to lift the sword.” Ganon sighed. “Princess, would you please explain to the boy how it works.”  
Zelda ran her fingers along the hilt of the sword. The purple matched the color of her dress and caused her to smile as if it brought back old memories. “Once a hero has proven himself worthy of the sword, than he may try and draw it.” She grinned at the other two boys. “Oh Ganon, do you think the hero will be born in our lifetime?”  
“Why would you want that?” Ganon crossed his arms. “Whenever that happens the Princess is kidnapped.”  
“But then I’d be rescued by my hero.” She sat down and smiled at the two boys. “Maybe it’s one of you.” She giggled before the two boys looked at one another with discerning eyes.  
Ganon saw Link has a scrawny little boy from a poor family. He didn’t think anything less of him, but he was nothing remarkable, just some kid.  
Link on the other hand saw Ganon as a strapping young man. Someone who clearly had a lot of pride in who he was, and knew it wasn’t without merit. That was something Link wished he could feel about himself, however there was something else behind Ganon’s eyes that Link did not envy. He couldn’t put it into words, but something about them made the small boy feel sad.  
“I’m probably wrong.” Zelda laughed. “The Hero is supposed to arrive right when he’s needed most, not just on some chance outing or in my own front yard.” Zelda giggled to herself before standing up. “Now come on, let’s play.”  
“What do we play?” Link asked before he was shown an intricate version of tag that also involved sneaking around the roaming guards. If Zelda was caught she’d be sent to her room. If Ganon was caught he’d be sent home, but if Link was caught he didn’t know what would happen to him.

XXXX

Zelda giggled to herself while hiding in a bush. Just a few yards in front of her was Ganon searching high and low for the sneaky princess. She’d be lying if she said there wasn’t a part of her that wished that Ganon would get caught so she’d be alone with Link for a while. There was just something about him that drew her towards him.   
Maybe it was his smile, or the goofy way he tilted his head when he was confused. Shaking her head Zelda needed to focus, thinking about Link would only get her… She froze as she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning her head she saw the big smile of the small blonde boy she had friended. “I found you.” He gave her a huge smile that forced a blush across the Princess’ face.   
Zelda stood up like a bolt revealing herself to Ganon. “Yes, yes you did.” She dusted off her dress in an attempt to still appear formal.   
“That’s where you were hiding?” Ganon asked with a groan. “I was gonna look there next.”  
“But I did first.” Link teased the larger boy who gave a gentle glare.   
Link and Zelda giggled at the more serious boy before the smaller one let out a yawn. “I’m getting kind of sleepy now.” He rubbed his eyes. “If I don’t get my chores done in the morning Pa will beat my rear like an angry cuckoo.” He earned a small laugh from the other two children.  
“Alright.” Zelda said rubbing her own eyes. A wave of exhaustion coming to her as well. “Ganon, would you be so kind as to walk Link home?”  
With a quick nod the red-haired boy nodded his head. “Let’s go.” 

XXXX

Once the duo made it out of the castle grounds Ganon stopped and watched as the other boy continued. “Link.” He called out causing the other boy to stop and turn.  
“Yeah?”  
“I had…” The boy hesitated resting his hand on his hip where a sword would’ve rested. “Fun.”  
Link looked at Ganon and smiled back. “Me too.” He walked up to Ganon and held his hand out. “Friends?”  
With a sigh Ganon put his hand in Link’s. “Friends.”


	3. Chapter 3

A few days later Link was standing with his Father who was brushing the King’s horse. Beside it stood the horse that belonged to the captain of the guard, Ganon’s father. An absolute monster of a steed. The story that Link had been told was that the horse was a gift from the Gerudo after the man had been accepted as one of their own.  
He was not declared their kind mind you, however he was granted safe passage between the two lands without issue. This was the reason that King Daphnes had given the man such a prestigious title. In fact the duo had been planning a long term trip to the Gerudo Desert in order to open a dialog about opening trade between the two peoples.  
From what Ganon had told Link the Gerudo were excellent craftsman. While the Hylians had all of the materials they could ever need, none of them matched the sheer skill of a Gerudo who had spent years training to become the very best smith, tailor, or architect she possibly could.  
That last part always seemed to bother Link. A culture consisting of nothing but women always seemed like a weird thing. Where did the babies come from if they didn’t have fathers?  
“Lad, hurry up.” Arn said noticing Link was stuck in his own mind when he should’ve been packing the saddle bags.  
“No need to rush.” King Daphnes came into the stable in a set of riding leathers, leaving his crown behind for this journey. His large muscular frame was only slightly hidden behind the large cloak that he was wearing. “Groose, hurry up.” Daphnes turned as Ganon’s father entered the room.  
“Sire, I have to warn you, this is an unwise journey.” Groose reasoned petting his massive horse. “The Gerudo will not welcome you.”  
“They welcomed you didn’t they?” The King pointed out checking the saddle on his horse even though it was perfect.  
“Yes sire, but it is not the same.” Groose argued. “Please reconsider.”  
“No.” Daphnes pulled himself up onto his horse. “I have heard your argument time and time again, and now I am going.” He had the horse walk to the exit of the stable. “And besides, if we left now Arn and Link would’ve prepared us for the road for nothing.”  
The two peasants perked up at their names being mentioned but Groose did not look to them. “Yes Sire.” He grumbled before putting his foot in the stirrup before pulling himself onto the back of the beast.   
Without another word the two road off out of Castle Town and Link turned to his father. “What if something bad happens?”  
“Like what?” Arn asked going back to work, tending for the remaining horses.   
“Captain Groose seemed really worried.” Link grabbed a brush before handing it to his father.  
“It’s the Captain’s job to worry.” The rancher smiled as he ran a brush along the horses fur. “And it’s the King’s to decide if that worry is warranted or not.”  
Link nodded in understanding before there was a knock at the door. Both of the ranchers turned their heads to see Ganondorf standing at the entrance. “Can I borrow Link?”  
The young boy looked to his father who nodded his head. “We’re nearly finished here. Go on, I can handle the rest, just try to be home for dinner.”  
“I will.” Link said putting the brush back where it belonged and followed after Ganon who was already walking out of the stable.  
“Wait up.” Link said running after his friend.

XXXX

The two boys used their usual method of sneaking into the castle and making it to the garden where Zelda was already waiting. Normally at night the guard rotations are at a minimum, but during the day they are a little more observant. Something that upset Link.  
“Good, you’re both here.” Zelda looked between the two boys. “I’ve called you here for a very specific reason.”  
“You did?” Link asked. “I thought we were just playing again.”  
“This is no time for play.” Zelda said in a serious tone. “As you both know my father and Ganon’s have travelled to the Gerudo Desert to try and begin a trade relation with them. What you don’t know however is that I have had a dream.”  
Link quirked an eyebrow. “A dream?”  
“Shh.” Ganon hushed the boy. “Please, go on Princess.”  
“Thank you.” Zelda nodded in an attempt to seem as regal as she possibly could.  
“In my dream I saw the ruin of Hyrule at the hands of the Gerudo. I do not believe they can be trusted, and my father as so easily turned his nose up at the idea, and even ignored the recommendations of Captain Groose.” She hung her head for a moment. “I fear he may have gotten ahead of himself and does not quite understand the severity of the danger that he has placed himself in.”  
“What’s going to happen?” Link cocked his head to the side.  
“I don’t know.” Zelda said with a sigh. “That’s what we’re going to find out. My father has ordered his men to stay here to defend Castle Town, but none of us are his men.” She grinned. “No one is stopping us from travelling to Gerudo Desert.”  
“I like it.” Ganon crossed his arms with a smile. “Gives us our chance to finally show everyone what we’re made of.”  
“Thank you.” Zelda nodded to Ganondorf. “Link, I know you don’t have any connection to our fathers, but I request you join us on our journey.” She stepped down from her platform so that she was at eye level with the boy. She reached out to take his hand, part of her pleading that he would go with them, but she knew she was going either way.  
Link looked between his two friends; both watching him and waiting to hear an answer. “I’ll do it. We have to go after nightfall though, otherwise my Father will tell people and try to stop us.”  
Zelda didn’t think, she threw her arms around the young boy and held him tight. “Thank you Link.” She said excitedly while Ganon averted his eyes.  
“We should begin our preparations for our journey as soon as we are able.” Ganon argued. “Link, do you have any equipment for battle?”  
The boy scratched the back of his head. “Aside from a pitchfork or two, no.”  
“I’ll bring my spare.” The large boy patted his sword before turning to Zelda. “You must leave any and all finery behind Princess.”  
“I’m aware Ganon.” She stood apart from the other two. “Thank you, both of you. We’ll leave after nightfall and begin our journey on horseback.”  
Link nodded in understanding before Link was walked back out of the castle grounds and went home.

XXXX

That night Link sat silently at the dinner table with his father who did the same. Neither of them said much of anything, partly because Arn was a noticeably quiet man, and partly because Link felt guilty about what he had planned to do. How could he not? His only friends ever asked one thing from him, there was no way that he was going to let them down like this.  
“I see you’re getting along with the Captain’s boy.” Arn pointed out between bites of his bread and lamb.  
“I am. Ganon is really nice and we enjoy playing together.” Link replied earning a smile from his father.  
“I’m glad. One of the things I was most worried about back on the Ranch was that you didn’t have many friends.” He said sadly. “I was worried you’d grow up alone.”  
“It’s ok Pa.” Link reasoned. “Now it’s all ok. We have a much better home here in town and you’re the Stablemaster!” He offered a big smile.  
“Thank you, Lad.” The man reached out and held his son’s head in an affectionate way.

XXXX

After dinner Link went to his room while is Pa read in the sitting room. The boy cinched up some travelling clothes before stopping. He looked over at the Green Tunic he had become accustomed to wearing and quickly disrobed before pulling it on and checking that his boots were tight. Once he was ready he put a pack full of bread on his shoulders and then waited.  
It only took an hour before Zelda appeared in Link’s window. “Are you ready?” She eyed the boy, noticing that he was wearing his green tunic again. Maybe he was the Hero? She wondered to herself, but she did not have time to worry about that, right now she needed to focus on the clear and present danger.  
“I am.” Link stood up and pulled his backpack on over his shoulder before jumping out of the window with the Princess.  
Ganon was standing and waiting, wearing his sword on his hip and handing one to Link right away. “Tie this onto your belt in case we need it. I’ll handle any fighting we may have, but if need be, you’ll have something.”  
Link tied the sword to his belt and then looked to the other two. Some of Zelda’s enthusiasm had faded and it was replaced by a look of trepidation. Ganon seemed to be in a hardened stare, the gravity of their decisions finally starting to weigh on him.  
Link walked ahead of the other two towards the exit of town. “Come on, we don’t want to lose any more time than we need to.” He didn’t look back, trusting that the others would be willing to follow behind him without needing to ask.


	4. Chapter 4

Walking through most of the night Zelda waves the other two down. The trio now stood in the middle of Hyrule field, the sun beginning to rise to the east. “Can we stop and rest for just a few minutes?”  
Ganon looked to the sun to gauge the time before looking around himself to figure out how far they have travelled. “We can take thirty minutes for breakfast.” He sat down in the grass followed by Link and Zelda who nearly collapsed between the two.  
“Why did no one tell me that travelling for so long is so exhausting?” She breathed heavily looking over at the horses to the side that were grazing while the others rested.  
Link reached into his pack and handed the others each a piece of bread. Ganon silently chewed on it but Zelda made a face showing her displeasure for the food. “Did you bring any jam or honey?”  
“No.” Link said through his mouthful of bread. “Should I have?” He swallowed the bread hard.  
“The Princess is not accustomed to bland meals.” Ganondorf said with a sigh. “I apologize princess, but when travelling many fineries are left behind. Even something as simple as salt may be left when trying to travel with speed as we are now.”  
“Salt?” Zelda asked with big eyes. “We won’t even salt our food?”  
“I packed salted meats.” Ganon pointed to his saddle bag. “That will have some flavor, but I fear you still will not enjoy it.”  
“Can I try some of that?” Link whispered.  
“At lunch.” Ganon whispered back as Zelda forced herself to stomach the mostly stale bread she had been left with.   
“What about hunting for fresh meat?” She looked between the two.  
“I don’t know how.” Link replied.  
“And we do not have the time required to track, kill, skin and then cook our food.” Ganondorf put the last of his bread into his mouth before leaning back in the tall grass around them. He looked up at the clouds rolling past, he was close to the desert again. It was only a matter of time before he’d feel the warm sand between his toes once again.   
The time seemed to pass quicker than Ganon wished but he looked down to see Link had wandered over to a tree. He held his sword in his hand rather awkwardly and without any grace to speak of. “Look.” Ganon spoke to Zelda who turned her head away from the countryside and looked at Link who stumbled around with the sword in his hand.   
Walking over Ganon watched as Link attempted to perform a parry with an invisible enemy but the boy tripped and fell. “Link, what hand do you write with?” Ganon crossed his arms.  
The Ranch Boy stood up and raised his free hand earning a laugh from Zelda and a groan from Ganon. “You’re left handed.” The red haired boy spoke. “Why are you using a sword in your right hand if you’re left handed?”  
“That’s how everyone uses a sword.” Link held up the sword in his right hand. “I didn’t know I could hold it in my other one.” He put the sword in his left hand and held it up before smiling. The sword was short by normal standards but for a boy his size it fit him perfectly. “Oh.” Link said swinging the sword a few times. “Thanks.” He blushed before Ganon drew his own sword.  
“Let me show you how to use it.” Ganon stepped across from Link and held his sword out. “Touch blades.” He spoke calmly and with authority.  
Link moved his sword into position causing his blade to smack into Ganon’s. Neither boy flinched at the slight spark but Zelda watched in awe. Her jaw dropped at seeing an image that for some reason seemed eerily familiar. She didn’t fully understand it either.  
“Follow my motions.” Ganon told Link before moving his sword slowly and methodically so that the other boy could easily mimic the motions that he was seeing.  
Flashes of battle came to Zelda as she saw both now soaked in blood glaring at one another. A battle yet to come, or one long past?  
After a few more minutes after Link had learned some more movements the trio all mounted their horses and continued their trek westward to the Gerudo desert.

XXXX

A couple days passed before the trio now looked onward past themselves to the rising and falling dunes of sand. “We’ll leave the horses here.” Ganon pointed to a nearby stable. “I brought enough money for each horse to be stabled.” He dismounted and walked the beast over.  
Link and Zelda did the same, with the Princess taking extra care to make sure that her face was hidden from all of the bystanders who may be able to recognize her where they were. Link noticed and made sure to stay close to her just in case.  
Ganondorf bargained with the stablemaster and took the horses away. Link looked past them and noticed that the stable wasn’t as nice as the one that his father had back in Castle Town, granted that one was technically the King’s stable, they just worked in it. “We’ll have to make the rest of the journey on foot.” Ganon grumbled stepping towards the desert followed by the other children.  
“How did you know about this?” Zelda asked stepping in line with Ganon as best she could, but he had a much easier time walking in the sand than either of the other children.   
Link gasped for air. “I thought that we were only a day or two away from Castle Town, how could it be this hot out here?” He looked towards Ganondorf who seemed to be entranced by the desert ahead of him. Nothing else mattering except his own thoughts. 

XXXX

The heat was oppressive, but the water that the little boy sat in felt great to his skin. The air around him was so dry, and the water was so refreshing that he never wanted to get out. “Ganondorf, it is time to go.” A woman’s voice shouted from outside of the bed chambers.  
“A few more minutes.” The child replied before dunking his head under the water and testing how long he could hold his breath in the tub.  
Only another moment passed before he looked up and saw a massive woman with long red hair and a pointed nose looking down at him from above the water. Crossing her arms she waited to see how long it would take for the boy to run out of air, and it wasn’t long before he broke the water’s surface inhaling as much as he could. “Are you finished?” She walked over to the side of the room and grabbed hold of a long robe.  
“Do I have to go?” He asked looking up at the woman. “It makes me sad to go there.”  
“You owe it to him.” The woman helped the small boy out of the tub and dried him off with a towel. “Can you be a big boy for me?” She knelt down and was still taller than the young boy.  
“Alright.” Ganon nodded his head. “I can try to be good, for you.” He said before getting a smile from the woman. “But do I have to see Grandmas today too?”  
“Yes.” The woman sighed. “And I won’t hear anything else about it do you hear me?”  
“Yes mother.” Ganon hung his head as he was quickly dressed in traditional clothes for the Gerudo, only the male adjustments had already been made.  
The woman walked the little boy through the enormous palace. The Gerudo women they passed along the way kneeling in respect of their young king. The boy didn’t really like the attention, but he knew why he received it and understood that it needed to happen.   
The doors to the chamber opened and Ganondorf looked ahead and saw his father sitting on a couch. His body wasn’t bruised or broken, but it was clear that his heart had been. However all of that faded when he saw the little boy looking up at him. “Ganon.” The man stood to his feet before kneeling and holding his arms out for the child to hug him.  
“Go ahead.” The woman nodded nudging the boy forward.  
Slowly walking forward Ganon approached the man who looked with a smile. “It’s ok little man, I won’t hurt ya.” Once the boy was close enough the man slowly touched the boy’s face to make sure he was ok. He looked more than ok, he was healthy and beautiful. “Are they treating you right?”  
The boy nodded his head nervously. “Yes, mom treats me well.” He glanced back at the woman straining to hold back the smile on her face. “Grandma Rova is a little mean, but she says she’s just trying to teach me right.”  
The man wiped a tear from his eyes. “I’m glad.” He glanced back at the woman. “He’ll be safe right?”  
“Of course.” She said feeling the lump growing in her throat.  
“What’s wrong?” Ganon asked looking between the two adults. “Is everything ok?”  
“It will be.” The man replied nodding his head. “I’m gonna have to go away for a while now Ganondorf. I need you to be strong for me alright?” He closed his eyes tightly trying to hide the tears.  
“Why do you have to go?” Ganon looked behind himself to his mother. “You don’t have to go, I’ll be good I swear it.”  
“No, no.” The mother spoke up. “This isn’t because of you my king. This is because this isn’t where your father belongs. I’ve kept him here as long as I could. There was nothing else that I could do.”  
“There is one thing.” Groose looked up to his Gerudo mate.  
“No.” Her eyes went hard and cold. “That can never happen. Hurry with your goodbyes Voe.” She crossed her arms waiting.  
“Alright.” Groose hung his head. “We can hurry up.” He turned his attention back to Ganondorf who was fighting tears in his eyes. “Why the tears? I thought you didn’t like me.”  
“I don’t.” Ganon lied wiping the tears from his eyes. “I’m just upset they’re letting you off so easy.”  
“Trust me.” Groose whispered. “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” He wrapped the boy up in a tight hug that threatened to squeeze the boy too hard.

XXXX

Ganon stared at the city ahead of them. The night had fallen and Zelda and Link were shivering from the cold, but it didn’t bother him. It just reminded him of his childhood. Looking around he never noticed any signs of Zelda’s or his fathers but if they had made it into the city they likely wouldn’t be able to tell.  
Link tried to rub his chest to stay warm before Ganon turned to look at him. “Sorry, but you’ll have to wear this.” He handed the small boy a dress from his satchel.  
“You’re joking right?” Link looked up. “I’m going to look ridiculous.”   
“You are Voe.” Ganon said simply. “If we tried to bring you into the city they’d kill you or all of us.”  
“What’s Voe?” Zelda asked cutting Link off before he could argue.  
“A male.” Ganon replied.  
“You’re a boy.” Link held the dress in his fists.  
“I’m…” He froze looking to Zelda who watched with apt interest. “You’re right.” He nodded his head. “I have a different idea. I’ll wait out here, while you two go and investigate.”  
“No, you wear the dress.” Link held the outfit out but Ganon didn’t reach for it.  
“It won’t fit me. I got it in the right size for you.” Ganondorf rolled his eyes. “Now stop arguing, because I can’t go, and if you don’t go then Zelda will have to go alone.”  
Link gasped looking to Zelda who was watching their argument but blinked when she was brought up. “I can handle myself.” She crossed her arms and huffed.  
“Even if you can, I’d rather you have someone watching your back. Besides Link isn’t exactly the most skilled in a fight either. You two are going in to scout, nothing more.”  
Link nodded his head before he started pulling the loose fitting dress on over his tunic. It did fit him, even with his clothes on underneath. Once it was on he looked to the other two. “Is this good enough?”  
“Not quite.” Ganondorf smirked before pulling a bit of blush out of Zelda’s pack. “Just a hint to make you look more like a girl.”  
Gritting his teeth Link put his arms to his sides and held his breath as Ganon quickly applied the makeup. Zelda giggled before walking over and adjusting what was there before backing away, all the while giggling. “There you go Linkle.” She laughed to her friend who was clearly angry.  
“Can we just get this over with.” Link balled his fists but made sure to hide them in his now longer sleeves.  
“Let’s go.” Zelda smiled before the two left Ganon behind and walked towards the city gate.  
Ganondorf let out a breath and watched. His greatest fear coming true. He hadn’t thought that coming here again would be this upsetting.

XXXX

Ganondorf sat alone in his regal room. His father had left earlier in the day. Grandma Rova was already in bed and mother had also made her way to her own room. Leaving the little boy totally alone, something that he used to enjoy. But now the mere thought that he would never see his father again resonated deep inside of himself.   
Before the boy could react a grappling hook appeared in his window sill and a large man pulled himself through. “Shh.” The man held his finger over where his mouth would be slowly pulling a hood back revealing Groose. “Father?” Ganondorf whispered. “What are you doing here?”  
“I can’t leave you here without asking you.” Groose knelt in front of the boy. “I know I’m not giving you a lot of time to think about this boy, but I can’t just leave you without giving you a choice. Would you rather return to Hyrule with me, or stay here with your mother and grandmother?”  
Ganon gasped looking from side to side for some kind of help, but he was alone. There was no one there to make this decision for him. He would have to decide himself, would he give up the entire world he’s ever known and run away with his father? Or would he lose his father forever, never to see the man again? “What if I want to come back someday?” Ganon asked nervously.  
“You can make that decision then.” Groose gently put his hands on the boys arms. “But you have to know that after tonight I don’t think I’ll ever be allowed back here. The only reason I’ve been able to stay this long is because of you.” He rubbed the boy’s hairless face with a gentle hand.

XXXX

Ganon sighed as he lost track of the two who seemed to have entered the city unmolested. Hopefully they’d be able to find the King and Groose without any issue. And then the trio could come up with a plan to move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this fic was originally posted to FF .net and I wanted to expand where it could go. This is where I am in the full story there as well and I'll try to keep them both about just as updated as I go. My username over there is New Orion.


End file.
